MLB Player News
-
Alec Marsh RP | KC
Royals' Alec Marsh: Slated to face hitters
Marsh (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Sunday will be the first time Marsh has gone up against a live opponent since arriving at camp with tightness in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old has been able to throw multiple bullpen sessions with no issues, so if his shoulder holds up after a few rounds of live BP, he may be cleared to appear in games before the end of spring training.
-
Alimber Santa RP | HOU
Astros' Alimber Santa: Ready for Spring Breakout game
The Astros list Santa (undisclosed) on the roster for their March 14 Spring Breakout game against Nationals prospects, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.
Santa seems to be healthy again after he finished the 2024 season on Double-A Corpus Christi's injured list. The 21-year-old righty turned in an 8.69 ERA and 2.14 WHIP while striking out 16 and walking 16 over 19.2 innings for Corpus Christi before being shut down in late August.
-
Justin Topa RP | MIN
Twins' Justin Topa: Dealing with shoulder discomfort
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that Topa was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles due to right shoulder tightness, Bobby Nightengale of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Topa served up a home run and tossed just seven pitches before meeting with a trainer on the mound and then getting pulled from the contest. Baldelli said Topa's shoulder will be further evaluated Thursday, and while the skipper is hopeful that the right-hander isn't dealing with anything overly serious, it could affect his availability for Opening Day. The 33-year-old has had rotten luck on the injury front during his career, having missed most of the 2024 season due to torn patella tendon in his right knee and having previously required a flexor tendon surgery and two Tommy John surgeries for his elbow.
-
Alec Marsh RP | KC
Royals' Alec Marsh: Throws bullpen session
Marsh (shoulder) recently threw a bullpen session and said he felt great, the Kansas City Star reports.
Marsh first experienced tightness in his right shoulder during his offseason throwing program and has been eased into spring training action. He's thrown several bullpen sessions in the past week, but it's not clear when he'll appear in a spring training game. Marsh made 25 regular-season starts for the Royals last season, producing a 9-9 record with a 4.53 ERA and 123:39 K:BB ratio over 129 innings.
-
Andres Munoz RP | SEA
Mariners' Andres Munoz: Bounces back in second spring game
Munoz hurled a scoreless inning in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Royals, giving up one hit while striking out two.
Munoz appeared to be sharper Wednesday, considering he surrendered one run on two hits during his first appearance earlier this spring. The hard-throwing right-hander was a first-time All-Star in 2024 while operating as Seattle's primary closer, and the Mariners solidified his status this past offseason by letting Yimi Garcia go and not making any noteworthy additions to the bullpen. Munoz has dominant stuff, as evidenced by his 33.2 percent strikeout rate a year ago, but he may need to improve a bit on his 11.2 percent walk rate to avoid having his job security threatened atop the bullpen pecking order.
-
Keegan Akin RP | BAL
Orioles' Keegan Akin: Solid start in Grapefruit League
Akin threw one scoreless inning in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Minnesota, allowing one walk while striking out one and picking up a hold.
Akin has now made three appearances this spring, carrying a solid 3.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP with four strikeouts over three frames. After sporting a 3.32 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with a 97:19 K:BB across 78.2 innings in 2024, the 29-year-old left-hander is set to begin the year out of Baltimore's bullpen and should work primarily as a middle reliever. Although he could receive the occasional save opportunity while the Orioles manage closer Felix Bautista's (elbow) workload to begin the season, Akin doesn't open 2025 with much fantasy appeal.
-
Andrew Kittredge RP | BAL
Orioles' Andrew Kittredge: Undergoes MRI on knee
Kittredge underwent an MRI on his left knee Wednesday and will receive multiple opinions, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Kittredge developed soreness in the knee over the weekend and it has continued to linger. The veteran reliever has made one appearance this spring and should have time to prep for Opening Day if he receives good news on the knee, but until then his status is in question.
-
Justin Topa RP | MIN
Twins' Justin Topa: Leaves with apparent injury
Topa was removed from Wednesday's Cactus League appearance against the Orioles with an apparent injury, Bobby Nightengale of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Topa threw only seven pitches in the outing, and he surrendered a solo home run while showing diminished velocity. The reliever made just three appearances for the Twins in 2024 while dealing with knee and elbow problems. His status should be updated by the club in the near future.
-
Marc Church P | TEX
Rangers' Marc Church: Possible closer candidate
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy mentioned Church when asked recently about potential candidates at closer, Jack Magruder of MLB.com reports.
The top two candidates to close for Texas look to be Chris Martin and Robert Garcia, but Bochy's willingness to throw Church's name into the mix is notable. The skipper said he sees Church as being a closer "sometime down the road here" and "it could be when we break camp." Church missed much of the 2024 season with a right shoulder strain, but he's healthy now and has been clocked in the upper 90s this spring, having allowed two runs with a 5:1 K:BB in three Cactus League innings.
-
Matt Canterino SP | MIN
Twins' Matt Canterino: Out with shoulder strain
Canterino is out indefinitely after suffering a right shoulder injury which an MRI showed to be a strain, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Canterino hasn't pitched in any of the previous two seasons, as he was sidelined for all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery and then suffered a rotator cuff strain last spring. The Twins had planned to move him to the bullpen to reduce the workload on his arm and shoulder, but it sounds like this could be another significant setback.